Adjustable spanner wrench



Jan. 14, 1947. J. J. TRIMMER ADJUSTABLE SPANNER WRENCH Filed Feb. 3,1945 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. Zu'mwm/ Jqn.l4, 1947. J. J. 'TRIM'NER2,414,281

ADJUSTABLE SPANNER WRENCH Filed Feb; 3, 1945 2 Sheets-Shea; 2

INVENTOR.

BY I

Patented Jan. 14, 1947 UNITED S'I'A'iiifi FATENT OFFICE (Granted underthe act of March 3, 1383, as amended April 36, 1928; 370 0. G. 757) 2Claims.

This invention relates to an adjustable spanner wrench. This wrench isparticularly useful in the assembling and maintenance of various piecesof equipment, for example optical equipment such as submarineperiscopes, in which many of the parts are held in place by retainingcollars or rings. On such equipment there are many retaining rings ofvarying sizes, and on equipment made by different manufacturers, theserings and collars are often of different types. For example, theretaining rings and collars on one assembly may be provided with holesfor the insertion of a spanner wrench while on an assembly of adifferent make the retaining rings and collars may be provided withslots. It has heretofore been necessary when working with such equipmentto employ an assortment of spanner wrenches of different types.

One object of the present invention is to provide a spanner wrench whichmay be adjusted to fit any size retaining ring or collar.

Another object of this invention is to provide an adjustable spannerwrench with a movable member, which will be yieldingly retained in placeafter adjustment and which may then be securely locked in the adjustedposition.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an adjustablewrench which will operate on retaining rings or collars fitted witheither slots or holes.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front view of the spanner wrench of this invention.

Figure 2 is a side view of the spanner wrench shown in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section of the gear mechanism taken on line 3-3of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a horizontal section of one of the locking detent devicestaken on line i-4 of Figure 2, in the locket position thereof.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, but showing the lockin detentdevice in its unlocked position.

Figure 6 is a fragmentary section of an assembly upon which the wrenchis used.

Figure '7 is a fragmentary front view of a modification of Figure 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, Figure 1 shows members 2| and 22which are jaws machined to points 36 on one end to fit holes and towedge shapes 3'! on the other to fit slots. The points and wedges are oncorresponding ends of the jaws, and the wedges on the one set of endsare in line witheach other. In Figure 1 the pointed ends 36 of the jaws2| and 22 are shown to taper from the outside in toward each other, thisconstruction being particularly useful in operation upon externalretaining rings or collars provided with holes (Figure 6). It will beapparent to one skilled in the art, however, that the wrench may beconstructed as shown in Figure '7, wherein the points 36 on jaws 2| and22 taper from the inside out, so that the wrench may be convenientlyapplied to internal retaining rings or collars provided with holes. Jaw22 contains a gear mechanism and two locking detent devices mounted inthreaded bores 24, as described in detail below.

Members 25 are crossrods which are slotted to provide multiple spacedrecesses 42 for approximately their entire length. These recesses 42receive the points of the locking detent devices, the operation of whichwill be described later. Member 26 is a gear rack having teeth 26a (Figure 1).

Jaw 2! is fixed to crossrods 25 and to gear rack 25:. These rods arefixed at their other extremities to end piece 23 and form guide membersupon which jaw 22 may be made to move. Jaw 22 moves-on these guidemembers by means of gear 2? working on gear rack 25. This gear assemblyis shown in detail in Figure 3. Member 21 is a pinion gear consisting ofgear shafts 21a, and 21b and gear teeth 210. The pinion gear 21 fitsinto bore 220. in the jaw 22 and the gear teeth 21c engage the gear rackteeth 26a. Member 29 is a knurled knob for turning the gear 27 and isfixed to gear shaft 21b by a pin 35. Back plate 28 fits around the gearshaft 21a and within the bore 22a and holds the gear assembly in placeon the other side of the jaw 22. This plate is fixed to the jaw 22 byscrews 34.

Figures 4 and 5 show a locking detent device. It consists of a bushin orcylinder 30 threaded externally as at 38c on one end and internally asat 3% on the other, the externally threaded end of which is screwed intothe threaded bore 2 on jaw 22. Member 32 is a plunger consisting of ashank 38, collar 39 and point 40. Coil spring 33 fits around the plungershank 3B and within the bushing 31!. Member 3| is a locking lever and isprovided with a recess 4| to receive the plunger shank 38. This lockinglever is screwed into the internally threaded section of the cylinder orbushing 30 and when in place holds the plunger shank 38 within itsrecess M and compresses the spring 33 against the plunger collar 39. Inthe unlocked position (Figure 5) the plunger point 40 is yieldingly heldin one of the recesses 42 of the crossrod 25. The device is positivelylocked in its adjusted position by further screwing the locking lever 3|into the cylinder or bushing 30 so that the base of the recess 41positively engages the outer end of the plunger shank 38 and fixedlyholds the plunger point 40 in the selected recess 42 of the cross rod 25(Figure 4) In operation, the locking levers 3| are turned to such aposition that the springs 33 are under a slight compression, sufiicientto yieldingly hold the points of the plungers 32 in the recesses on thecross rods 25, yet insufficient to positively engage the outer end ofthe plunger shank 38. The jaw 22 is then moved by turning gear knob 29until the points 36 orthe wedges 31 are spaced approximately the samedistances apart as the holes or slots in the retaining ring or collar.As the gear knob 23 is turned the points 40 of the locking plungersclick from recess to recess on the rods 25, and when the desiredadjustment is obtained serve to yieldingly hold the jaw 22 in positionuntil it can be securely locked. The locking levers 3| are then drawn upso as to positively engage the outer end of the plunger shank 38,thereby locking the jaw 22 in the new position. Thus the locking devicesand gear mechanism function cooperatively so that the wrench may beeasily and accurately adjusted to any position, the degree of adjustmentdepending only upon the spacing of the recesses on crossrods 25.

Figure 6 shows a typical application of the invention, namely a piece ofoptical equipment in which a lens 4'! is held in place within a tube 48by means of a ring 43 and in which the tube itself is held to a plate 49by means of a collar 44. For purposes of illustration only, the innerring .63 holding the lens is shown as slotted while the outer collar 44,is shown as drilled. In actual practice, however, the collars and ringson any one piece of equipment would usually be of the same type. Thering 43 is also shown as having slots every quarter diameter, which maybe the case on large rings or upon rings designed to fit in confinedspaces where only a quarter turn on a wrench would be possible. I

The wrench of the present invention may be used for the ring 43 byadjusting the jaw 22 to the proper position, locking it in place, andinserting the wedge shaped ends 31 into slots 45. For operation on theouter collar 44, the wrench is readjusted and the pointed ends 36inserted into holes 46.

Other modifications and changes in the number and arrangement of partsmay be made by those skilled in the art without departing from thenature of the invention, within the scope of what is hereinafterclaimed.

The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or forthe Government of the United States of America for governmental purposeswithout the payment of any royalties thereon or therefor.

I claim:

1. An adjustable spanner wrench comprising a stationary jaw, a guidemember provided with multiple spaced recesses connected thereto, amovable jaw movably mounted on said guide member, and a locking detentdevice connected to said movable jaw and engageable with said guidemember, said locking detent device comprising an internally threadedmember, a pointed plunger therein having a shank and a collar, a springembracing the shank of said plunger and engaging said collar, a threadedlocking member screwed into the threaded portion of said internallythreaded member against said spring therein and arranged to be screwedfurther into said internally threaded member into positive engagementwith the shank of said plunger, whereby the point of the plunger is heldin yieldably releasable engagement with the recesses in said guidemembers in the unlocked position and positively held in engagementtherewith in the locked position.

2. A spanner wrench comprising parallel cross rods, recesses on saidcross rods, a fixed jaw fixed to the ends of said cross rods, the endsof said jaw extending beyond said cross rods, a rack parallel to saidcross rods and fixed to said fixed jaw at a point intermediate its ends,a movable jaw, said movable jaw being parallel to said fixed jaw and ofthe same length as said fixed jaw, said movable jaw having transversebores, said bores slidably receiving said cross rods and said rack, anadditional bore in said movable jaw, said additional bore being at rightangles to said transverse bores, a pinion in said additional bore inmesh with said rack, a shaft in said additional bore, said pinion beingmounted on said shaft, a handle on said shaft, resiliently mountedplungers on said movable jaw, and means to bring said plungers intoengagement with said recesses.

JOHN J. TRIMNER.

